Enhancer for YouTube is a must-have extension for anyone who wants complete control over how videos play on their browser.
Also: How to Download YouTube Videos for Free, Plus Two Other Methods
I will show you how to use Enhancer for YouTube in Firefox Browserbut the program is available for most web browsers. With this extension you can configure and control the following components:
- Topic
- Video player controls (like repeat, volume up, info card options, cinema mode, popup player, playback speed, filters, etc.)
- Where to place the controls
- Playback quality
- Volume
- Autorun
- Video decoder
- Mini music player
- Popup Player Size
- Appearance
- And more
Let’s say you find yourself constantly changing settings for YouTube videos. This extension lets you configure defaults for those settings and gives you options to manage things you didn’t know you had control over.
Also: 9 indispensable utilities to create quality YouTube videos
Since using Enhancer for YouTube, my video viewing experience has improved significantly.
Let me show you how to install and use this extension.
Install Enhancer for YouTube
What you need: The only thing you need for this task is a running instance of Firefox. Of course, you can install this extension in other browsers as well. Let’s install Firefox.
On the Enhancer for YouTube page, click the ‘Add to Firefox’ button. You will then be prompted to OK the installation. Click OK and the extension will be added.
Enhancer for YouTube is one of the most recommended Firefox extensions.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
To access settings in Enhancer for YouTube more easily, click the puzzle piece icon on the Firefox toolbar, click the gear icon in the Enhancer for YouTube list, and click “Pin to toolbar.”
You don’t have to pin the extension, but it makes it easier to access the Settings page.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Configure Enhancer for YouTube
Click the Enhancer for YouTube icon on your toolbar to open the Settings page. From this page, you can configure every aspect of the extension. I recommend selecting the controls to add/remove from the YouTube player controls toolbar and the default playback quality for videos, playlists, and the pop-up player. You can choose anything from 144p to 4320p 8K. I tend to set the playback quality to 1440p HD or 2160p 4K (depending on the display being used).
There are more options here than you might realize are on YouTube.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Any changes are saved immediately, so there is no need to click Save. Once you have made all the necessary changes, you can close the Settings window.
Use Enhancer for YouTube
When you open a YouTube video, you’ll see a new toolbar below the video that includes all the controls you’ve added from Settings. This toolbar gives you more control over your video than YouTube normally offers.
Also: How to create playlists on YouTube app
One handy feature is the Filters option. Once you’ve added it to your default controls, click the button while watching a video and a small pop-up window will appear that lets you control Gaussian blur, brightness, contrast, grayscale, hue rotation, invert, saturation, and sepia. These options are useful when watching videos that aren’t very good. You can adjust the video to suit your monitor and your eyes.
Adjusting the filter can make for a much better viewing experience.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
And that’s the core of Enhancer for YouTube. No matter what browser you use, you should definitely install and use this extension if you watch YouTube videos regularly.
